Today was a very challenging day on the mental side of things. Our day got started somewhat normally, as we packed up our things and got ready go go on the road. The thought of getting kicked off of private property was still a little fresh, so I (Sam) was a little worried that Google Maps could have something like that in store for us again. The road was, for the most part, fine until we arrived at a horizontal rope that marked the beginning of a pasture. I thought that this could perhaps still be public property because we were using the Google maps driving directions, and it was very hard to believe that it would have one drive through private land. We marched onward, but the remoteness of the terrain and lack of vehicles made me doubtful. The road itself was not awful, meaning that we had dealt with worse terrain in the past and that this was manageable. We realized that in order to get back onto a proper road, we would have to do 22 miles on the day. I was worried about how my mother would handle this, but she was walking quite well up until this point. The first car that we saw stopped by us and asked us if we were ok. We explained our situation, and the driver said that the we wouldn’t see any stores for about another 40 miles. He also said that we were on hunting grounds. I therefore put on my neon yellow night shirt and gave my mother my yellow rain jacket for visibility. This was a little intimidating, but we kept going. The driver also offered us a ride, but we obviously declined. Walking in these conditions did not feel ideal without cell service, so I felt motivated to walk without stopping. It was also very difficult walking with the thought that at any moment there could be a gate signifying private property, which would likely force us to backtrack 10 miles. This was easily my greatest fear. In addition, we also had to make sure that my mother could get back to Fence Lake tomorrow. We eventually got off of the pasture, and I was extremely relieved. I cannot emphasize enough how difficult it is to walk while stressed. We walked on the pavement for a few miles, and eventually reached the New Mexico/Arizona border! I was glad my mother was able to walk through this, as this was one of her goals on the walk with us. Her ability to walk 22 straight miles with us was also very impressive. Thankfully, we had one bar of cell service and were able to contact folks back home to help her facilitate a ride back, as the one she had planned for earlier fell through. We also asked a passerby if they would be willing to give her a ride, but she was unfortunately unable to because she had work the next morning. There was still a little angst while going to bed because she did not have a guaranteed ride yet, but frankly I was relieved to be out of the remote mountains and back onto pavement with even a single bar of cell service.
10/30/22
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